To Make Them Proud
by Helios01
Summary: When a young Harry Potter discovers a way to return to the world he came from everything changes. Forearmed with knowledge about the Wizarding World this Harry isn't going to be anyone's puppet. He has his own goals in mind, and plans on doing everything in his power to make them proud.
1. The Discovery

Chapter One: The Discovery

**Thanks for reading and please review. If anyone has any ideas or feedback on the story then please message me.**

I was cleaning out the attic when I found something that would change my life forever. I had been sent there as a punishment for scoring higher than Dudley on my end of year report, which I thought was rather unfair considering the boy still had trouble spelling words such as "door" and "buy" despite being age nine. At any rate, despite my protests I had been sent to the attic to clean, and was not allowed out until it was spotless. I had been working for about half an hour, when after moving a large box full of Christmas decorations to the side in order to remove a dust bunny, I found a large trunk covered in faded pale blue leather. The metal fixtures were dull, but looked like they could be made from brass. I crawled closer to take a better look and saw a bronze plague on the top labelled "Lily Evans". I wasn't entirely sure, as my dear aunt had made a distinctive point not to mention my parents, but I thought that could have been my mother's name.

My interest piqued, I dragged the trunk into the small patch of light coming in from the skylight. The ceiling was a little higher here, allowing me sit upon my knees instead of having to continue crawling. I tried to lift open the lid, but found it to be locked. However, after careful examination of the lock itself I realized there was no keyhole, just an ornate brass piece with a small indent in the middle. I place my hand on it in confusion, but pulled it back quickly after I felt a sharp pain on my thumb. There was a quiet clicking noise, and the lid popped open. A quick glance at my hand revealed a small scratch, like a pin prick on my thumb, but I was quickly distracted by what lay inside the trunk. Pushing the lid back the whole way, I let my gaze feast eagerly upon the only things belonging to my mother I had ever seen.

The contents were neatly organised. A small stack of books lay to the left, each covered in dust. There was a small velvet box next to them, a little bit larger than a matchbox, as well as two letters with my name on them. There was what appeared to be a black velvet cloak with a broach lying on it alongside a expensive looking golden watch. I picked up the letters first to take a look. They were weird. The paper was a lot heavier than the normal stuff and creamy colored, with a crest depicting a griffin holding what looked like a stick coming in one claw, a sword in the other. Written underneath it were the words "Virtus, Honos, Magus". I picked up the first letter and sat back upon my haunches to better read it.

_ Dear Hadrian, _

_ If you are reading this then it means that we are no longer with you, and for that I am deeply sorry. We never wanted to leave you, but if you are still alive and we are not, then I can assume that chances are we died for you, and I want you to know that there is nothing in this world I would rather die for. I want you to have the best life you possibly can, even if that means we are not there to see it. Just because we are no longer with you it doesn't mean that we have stopped loving you, and don't you ever forget that. There are things you need to know, and since I doubt Dumbledore will be willing to tell you, at least before it's too late, I will put them in this letter. _

_ The reason Voldemort targeted us is because of a prophecy made earlier this year, stating that the one who could finaly defeat ord Voldemort (one of the worst Dark Wizards in our history) would be born at the end of July. That could have meant you or Neville Longbottom. When this information was leaked to Voldemort he decided to come after us, so we went into hiding. But, if you're reading this then Voldemort failed, and we didn't die in vain. This means that you have your entire life ahead of you Harry, and I want you to live it. Don't spend your life going after revenge if Peter survived, killing him won't undo his betrayal. Which reminds me, keep an eye on Sirius. He probably blames himself for suggesting that we make Peter our secret keeper, but he needs to understand that he wasn't the one that sold us out to Voldemort. Peter was, and Sirius needs to remember that before he does something stupid by trying to avenge us._

_ I have left you a collection of books my mother bought for me when I was starting Hogwarts. They're some of the most useful books those unused to the magical world can find, but unfortunately they went out of print in my sixth year. Anyway, they cover the basics of all the subjects you will study in your first year. Read them, learn them and use them. I expect you to be in the top five of your year, both your father and I were and I want you to have the choice to whatever you want with your life, and that means having good grades. Now, I know your father might tell you different, but I don't care what house you're in. Choose the one that you will be best in. There is a lot of prejudice in the Wizarding world, especially against minorities. Slytherins may have a bad reputation, but the traits of cunning and ambition are certainly not to be discouraged, in the same way that being in Hufflepuff doesn't make you weak and being in Ravenclaw doesn't make you a "nerd". Each house has different attributes, but none are more valuable than the other. You should be cunning and resourceful, loyal and hardworking, intelligent and knowledgeable and brave and chivalrous. _

_ But, that's all I have time to say. I love you Harry, we both do, and don't you ever forget that. You have your entire life ahead of you Harry. Play quidditch, fall in love, and get good grades. Make your own choices Harry. Make us proud._

_ Love, Mum._

I took a deep breath and put that letter down. For the first time I could remember I wasn't crying purely out of grief, there was happiness there too. Despite what my relatives may have told me here in my hands was indisputable proof that my parents had loved me. I eagerly ripped open the second letter, thinking that it may have been from my father. This one was in a different handwriting, but the paper was stamped with the same crest.

_Harry,_

_ I know your mother has already told you how much we love you, and how sorry we are that we're not with you, but I want you understand that in no way is this is your fault. I know Lily, and if you have her personality in the same way you have her eyes then you will inevitably take the weight of the whole world on your shoulders. You need to understand this Harry, that in life we make our own choices, and at the end of the day we only have ourselves to blame for those choices. No-one else. _

_ But, there are some things you need to know, and I'm so sorry I can't tell you in person, but this is the best I can do. You live in a world of magic Harry, and represent a certain position inside of it. You are the last surviving heir to the Potter family, and with that comes certain responsibilities. I've left you several books about Wizarding Customs, etiquette and law. You will need to read those in order to fully understand our world. When you go to Gringotts ask for Canton, he's the goblin in charge of our family account and can let you know more about your responsibilities as a Head of an Ancient and Noble House. You can only claim Headship of the House Potter when you turn eleven, but you will still need to maintain a certain image until then. Read the books we left you, they will help with that._

_ However, let's put the serious stuff aside. If you look in the trunk you should find a book labelled "The Marauder's Handbook". Inside is every single prank the Marauders (myself, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew) came up with. In the book you will find us referred to by nicknames, I was Prongs, Sirius was Padfoot, Remus was Moony and Peter was Wormtail. We had these nicknames because we were animagi. Admittedly that was illegal, and I don't want you to even consider learning the transformation until you are at least thirteen years old, but I have left you a book you might find helpful when the time comes. In case you were wondering, I was a stag, Sirius was a dog and Peter was a rat. Remus however was not a animagus, he was a different case. He had, and I'm assuming still has, what we used to call his "furry little problem". Remus was a werewolf, but that doesn't change the fact the Remus is one of the kindest and smartest men I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Don't let the wizarding prejudices affect your opinion of people Harry, no one can be defined by one particular label. Don't ever forget that. Do the House of Potter proud Harry, just like I know you can._

_ Love, Dad._

After finishing the second letter I placed it gingerly down next to the other one and sat, staring at the trunk while my thoughts whirled at a thousand miles an hour. I did have a family, and they had loved me. I lay down under the skylight, and just stared through it, relishing for the first time the feeling of being loved. My relatives weren't really abusive, don't get me wrong, but they weren't exactly loving either. I could never remember being praised by them, and it had taken me until age five to realise that my name wasn't actually "Freak". That had been a surprise. Hadrian. That was what my mother had called me in her letter. I liked it, and decided that I would rather be known by Hadrian from then on. Harry didn't have any good memories attached to it.

I'd been sitting for about hour, just re-reading my parents' letters when a few particular things occurred to me. I may have only been eight, but I was fairly certain that I had never heard of "the Wizarding World" or "quidditch". I picked up a couple of the books, because I figured that there might be some helpful information in them. The first ones I grabbed were a stack of small books, held together with a rubber band. They were all the same size, but each was a different colour, and there were eight in total. I removed the rubber band and laid them all down in front of me. Each was bound in a different color leather, and had a different title on the front, but they all had the same author. The books appeared to guides to various aspects of the Wizarding World, primarily school subjects, produced for "muggle-born" students (that was written in the blurb on the back). I assumed that meant children not born in the Wizarding World, so I made a mental note to read them later as they looked tremendously useful. I placed them all to the side in a neat stack and picked up the next book, labelled "Wizarding Laws and Customs", which was one of the books my Dad had mentioned in his letter. I also found a copy of "The Art of Becoming an Animagus", "Etiquette for Children" and "The Ancient and Noble Houses of Britain". I placed these books with the others and carefully unfolded the cloak. It was made of what looked like black cotton, and was lined inside with pale grey silk. The broach was in the shape of the same crest I had found in the letter, and was made of what appeared to be pure gold. The watch had a black strap and a golden clock face. It also looked to be made of gold, but the clock hands were white and the numbers were black. There was an imprint on the clock face of the family crest, with the family words inscribed neatly above it.

Finally I opened the small velvet box. Nestled inside was a key made of what looked like brass and had the Potter family crest shaped into the handle. It wasn't very big, but the grooves looked extremely complicated, which gave me the impression that it was for something valuable. I added that to the pile of stuff I had found, and after collecting it all together I carefully climbed back out of the attic and hurried to my cupboard. Checking to make sure the coast was clear, I opened the door and quickly put the stuff under what passed as my blanket and then ran back upstairs to continue cleaning before anyone realized I had left. It wasn't a really big issue, the Durlseys didn't pay attention to me as long as I did their chores and made their food, but I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. Even as I continued working, in what can only be described as the most unpleasant attic in Surrey, I couldn't keep a smile of my face. There was whole world out there, a world that sounded far better than the one I was in currently in, and I was only one step away from entering it and getting out of this one for good. It was about damn time.


	2. My Return

Chapter Two: My Return

**Thanks for reading and please review. If anyone has any ideas or feedback on the story then please message me. **

Over the next week I read, re-read and then re-read again the letters and books my parents had left me. I learnt off by heart the the eight book collection my mother had left me and it was, as I had expected, a guide to life in the Wizarding world for muggle-borns, and I found it answered pretty much all of my questions. Seven of the books covered all of the school subjects I would be taught in my first year at "Hogwarts". They were very helpful, as they gave basic advice such as how to best cut my ingredients in Potions, or various visualisation techniques I could use in Transfiguration. However, the best book was the last one, a comprehensive guide to the magical world. It included information such as various magical means of transport, but also explained the Ministry of Magic to me, and how the various underage magic laws worked. It even explained quidditch, as well as how to access "Diagon Alley". I had even figured out that what I previously had thought was stick that the griffin held in my family crest was in fact a wand, a rather marvellous sounding tool that I planned on getting my hands on as soon as possible.

After finishing all my books I set about plotting, and some ideas sprang to mind, but in order to fulfil of them I would have to get into Diagon Alley. I placed the date for my "great adventure" for next weekend, as my delightful relatives were taking Dudley to the beach that day. As per usual, I hadn't been invited, but I wasn't too upset by it. Seeing Dudley and my dear Uncle in a bathing suit was not exactly pleasant. So, that morning after my relatives had left with strict instruction to make the house spotless for when they got back, I snuck out the back door and caught the first bus I could to London. I wanted to take the Knight Bus as I sounded like fun but I had no magical money on me so was forced to settle with the traditional version.

I got off the bus at "Charing Cross Road" as listed in my book, and stood looking around at the surprisingly deserted street. After a quick glance around I located the "Leaky Cauldron" on the other side of the road. It looked rather run down, but unperturbed I crossed the road and pushed open the old door. It was pretty empty, only a few of the more loyal patrons sitting and drinking in corners. Some of them looked up when I walked in, but soon returned to staring into their drinks. In one corner was a very sooty looking fire place. It looked like it was used often, but there was no fire lit, which made me think that it must be used for "floo travel", one of the Wizarding forms of transport mentioned in my book. I glanced around fugitively, but after taking a deep breath I walked over to the bar with the intention of asking the bar keep if he wouldn't mind opening the door into Diagon Alley for me as I had no wand. The barman was an old man with very little hair, but he looked decent enough. After growing up with the Dursleys it was very useful to be able to read people as it helped to be able to tell when my Uncle was angry when he got home in order to make myself scarce. When leaving the Dursley's I had made sure to grab an old hat of Dudley's when I left in the morning as it had looked cold out, and I smoothed it down over my forehead to make sure I looked neat.

"Umm, excuse me?" I asked the barman tentatively. "You wouldn't know how to open the door into Diagon Alley would you? I'm meeting some friends there but forgot I needed a wand to get through".

The bar man smiled somewhat creepily in response, but nodded.

"Of course ya do. Come this way then". He turned and walked past the bar to a small wooden door set into the wall. I followed and he opened the door into a very small alley which contained nothing more exciting than a dustbin. He walked to the end of the alley and took his wand out of his sleeve and tapped five bricks on the wall. He stepped back, and after a moment the entire wall started receding into itself. I couldn't contain a small gasp, and the barkeep looked back and smiled, revealing a collection of teeth that had certainly seen better days. His job done, the barkeep turned and walked quickly back into the pub, shutting the door behind him. I tuned back round to face the doorway, and walked through it quickly, half afraid it might shut before I got my chance.

Diagon Alley was a wonder. It was almost like stepping back in time, with the cobblestone street and wood and stone buildings. It wasn't too busy, but there were still what I assumed were witches and wizards walking around. They were also dressed like something out of time, all flowing capes and pointy hats. They looked ridiculous to me, but everyone was wearing it so I guessed it must have been the norm. There were numerous shops with very unusual names. One shop was called "Eeylops Owl Emporium" which looked like it sold nothing more than owls. I had read in my book that messages via owl was the primary form of communication in the Wizarding World, so I added buying an owl to my list of things to do.

However, the main thing the caught my eye was the gleaming white building at the end of the street. It was obviously the biggest business in town, and was made of white marble. It was positioned at an intersection, and the darkened street leading away to left I assumed was "Knockturn Alley". I'd read about it, and despite its somewhat shadowy reputation I was still interested in exploring its depths. But, I had more pressing matters to attend to. I made a beeline for Gringotts, only stopping at the second pair of doors for a moment to read the words engraved upon them. It was certainly threatening, and I found it hard to comprehend just how stupid you would have to be try and steal from goblins. From what I'd read about them it seemed idea like a stupid idea to cross them, and I had every intention of treating the goblins with as much respect as I could muster. According to the Wizarding laws book my father had left me they could perfectly legally punish thieves or trespassers according their own laws, and goblin punishments generally entailed death.

I stepped into the atrium, which was a long marble room lined with counters on one side and large stone doors on the other flanked by guards, with a pair of bronze double doors at the far end. I walked to the nearest goblin teller, and waited patiently for him to finished writing before I spoke.

"Excuse me? My name is Hadrian Potter? I was hoping I could arrange an appointment in regards to my accounts?"

The goblin looked up, and I can honestly say I was not prepared for just how… unusual he looked. He, at least I thought it was he, had a long pointed nose and was completely bald. The hands were pale and the fingers were unusually long. It was a rather sinister appearance all in all, but I swallowed my fear and stared the goblin right in the eyes.

"Do you have your key?"

"Yes sir, right here". I handed the goblin my key, who turned it over in his hands several times, paying particular attention the family crest in the handle. Finally appeased, the goblin looked up and handed it back to me. He gestured with his spare hand, and a goblin standing behind him stepped forward.

"Take Mr Potter to room 17, and tell account manager Canton that he is here", the goblin behind him stepped past me and proceeded to walk off at a sharp pace towards the double doors at the far end. I walked quickly after him, stopping only to nod my thanks to the first goblin, and followed him through the double doors and down the subsequent hall to the door number 17. The goblin stopped.

"Account manager Canton will be here shortly" he said and then opened the door for me. I walked in and sat down on wooden chair positioned in front of the desk. This room was also made of marble, it was obvious the goblins weren't shy about showing their wealth. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and on the far wall a large iron door was set in. In the centre was a large imposing desk, with neat piles of parchment stacked up next to quills and ink pots. After a few minutes of waiting the iron door opened and another goblin walked in. This one was a small amount taller, but no less scary looking. He was dressed in a small black suit, but it looked like it was fine quality.

"So Mr Potter, I take you are here about your accounts? I'm your family's account manager, and have been for the past 50 years. I worked for your father, and your grandfather before him, and I must say it is a pleasure to finally be serving a Potter again".

"Thank you sir, I appreciate all that you have done for my family over the years. I have a few questions about my family's accounts, and was hoping you could help me. I recently became aware of my standing in the magical world, and was wondering if perhaps you could help me set my family affairs in order". The goblin nodded, and pulled one of the large stacks of parchment towards himself.

"Well, Mr Potter, before we can go any further I need you prove you are who you say you are. If you would be so kind?" The goblin pulled a draw open and removed a large red velvet box. My family crest was imprinted upon the top, and the same lock I saw on my mother's trunk was over the hinge. "If you would be so kind as to place your thumb on the lock? It should open. If you are who say you are, of course". I nodded, and reached forward to press my thumb over the lock. I felt the same sharp pain, and the lock clicked open. "Very good Sir. I apologise for the inconvenience but it is protocol".

"No, of course not. I understand. Can I ask what was in the box?"

"It contains your family rings. The box has a fairly basic family blood enchantment on it. It can only be opened by one of Potter blood. He pushed the box towards me and I could see two rings nestled inside. There were both of the same design, a plain golden band with a ruby in the middle with the family crest placed on the centre. However, the one on the right was bigger, with two smaller rubies flanking the large centre one, while the ring on the left didn't have the second set of rubies and the centre one was somewhat smaller. "The ring on the right is the head of the family ring, the one on the left the heir ring. Since you are under eleven you cannot be made the Head of your Family, but you can claim your position as Heir".

"What exactly does becoming Heir entail? I've read a book on the topic but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going over it for me. You are the expert after all". Canton seemed surprised at the praise but nodded.

"Of course Master Potter. By claiming your position as the Heir to the family of Potter you will gain certain rights and privileges. For one, you will be allowed to carry a wand before the age of eleven, as well as have the trace removed from you". I'd read about the trace in my muggle introduction book, and knew it was a spell performed by the Ministry to keep an eye on underage magic users, and having it removed would allow me to perform magic wherever I wanted. "You will be allowed control over your family's finances, including stocks and profits, but will not be allowed to banish any family members from the family". I'd read about this as well. In the past the Head of the family would be allowed to throw out any members that slandered the family name. This would negate any betrothal contracts and stop any money said family member may have been receiving from the family accounts. However, this rule was not particularly relevant to me as I was the last Potter, and as of such had no family members to throw out. "You will not be allowed to take your family's seat on the Wizengemot either, as you are underage, but you will be allowed to appoint your own representatives".

"Who is my current representative now Mr Canton? I have not been made aware of this".

"At the moment Master Potter it is a Mr Albus Dumbledore. He appointed himself representative as next of kin after your parent's death. As you were un-locatable at the time, and the only other available guardian was imprisoned in Azkaban we had no grounds to refuse him. He has also appointed himself your guardian in the magical world, but if you claim your position as heir that will be negated as you will be an adult in the eyes of the magical law".

"What about the muggle law? My home situation is not exactly preferred as of the moment".

"I'm afraid Sir, but as you are legally underage you will remain a minor in the eyes of the muggle law until you are at least 13 years old, providing you have claimed Headship by then".

"Thank you Canton. I appreciate your willingness to help me here. I am working on curing my ignorance of the magical world's ways, but it is a long process".

"I understand Master Potter. I take it you wish to claim the position of Heir formally?"

"Yes, how would I go about this?"

"It's fairly simple. I need you to sign this document with a blood quill, and then add your blood to the family chalice. Once you have been accepted, you will be able to claim the ring and all the privileges it entails, as well as will be allowed entrance into any family wards, properties and vaults". I nodded in agreement, and Canton pulled out another stack of parchment and what appeared to be a golden cup, engraved with rubies and the family crest. He offered me a large quill, with dark black feathers on the end and a razor sharp looking nib. I took it, and wrote my name on the parts of the document Canton indicated. I knew what a blood quill was, another item I'd read up on in the book of Wizarding laws, but that didn't make it hurt any less as my name was engraved on the back of my hand. I was grateful when Canton offered me a small bowl of what looked like water, but obviously wasn't because after submerging my hand for a moment the pain lessened and the wound healed up leaving no marks whatsoever. I then took the offered silver knife, and cut a deep gash on my left hand. I held my closed fist over the chalice, and watched as a single drop of blood dripped into it. Almost immediately after the blood made contact the chalice seemed to glow with a golden light, and the heir ring glowed in response. The light faded after a moment, and Canton smled, or grimaced it was hard to tell, over the desk. I then placed my left hand in the same bowl of 'water' and watched the same process occurred.

"Congratulations Mr Potter. I believe it is now time to discuss your family's accounts? And what you would like to do with them?" I nodded, and reached forward to slip on the ring. It glowed when I put it on and automatically resized itself to my finger, and Icould feel a sort of warm feeling. Almost like the magic was accepting me, welcoming me.

"Yes Canton, I believe it is. Shall we start with Dumbledore?"


	3. More Than a Little Rich

Chapter 3: More Than a Little Rich

**Thanks for reading and please review. If anyone has any ideas or feedback on the story then please message me. **

_"Congratulations Mr Potter. I believe it is now time to discuss your family's accounts? And what you would like to do with them?" I nodded, and reached forward to slip on the ring. It glowed when I put it on and automatically resized itself to my finger._

"_Yes Canton, I believe it is. Shall we start with Dumbledore_?"

Canton nodded and pulled a large stack of parchment out from under an even larger stack of parchment on his desk.

"According to this document upon your parent's death Dumbledore claimed guardianship of you in the magical world. Now, the Will did not state that Dumbledore was a possible guardian but since all other options were unavailable at the time we had no choice. Dumbledore holds a position of great power in our world, and after the events of the war no one was willing to refuse him. He placed you in the care of the "Dursley" family as they were your only living blood relatives and claimed guardianship of you in the magical world".

I stood and started pacing around the room.

"So you're telling me that a man who had no actual power or connection over either myself or my family was allowed to decide my future? You said that were other guardianship options, why was I not placed with them?" Canton nodded gravely.

"Unfortunately Sir, out of the three other options listed in the will by the time it was acted upon one of them was, and still is, in the long term stay ward at St. Mungos, the other has been deemed a unsuitable guardian by the ministry due to being inflicted with lycanthropy and the final option is still imprisoned in Azkaban for your parent's murder".

"I always knew I had rotten luck but this is unbelievable". I sat back down on my chair heavily and raised my clasped hands to my lips. I paused for a moment, taking the time to absorb all this new information. "Well, what's done is done, there is no changing the past. You say this 'Dumbledore' is my magical guardian, does this give him any control over me or my family's accounts?" Canton shook his head.

"No Sir. He cannot access any of the Potter ancestral vaults due to the blood wards protecting them, and he cannot access the trust fund vault set aside for you until you turn eleven, as that has been set aside by your parents for the express purpose of paying for your education. He does however control your family's seat on the Wizengemot as you are not of age and has a say in where you are educated but beyond that he has no power over your decisions or life choices, bar acting as an advisor". I sighed internally in relief.

"At least he has no control over my family's wealth. Or any say in what I do with my time. Is there any way I can remove him completely from any association with my family name?" Canton smiled.

"Yes Sir, you can. I can make it happen immediately if you so wish".

"Do it".

"Of course". He took another piece of parchment and wrote a short paragraph on it. Canton then rang a small bronze bell on his desk and not a moment later the iron door behind him opened and small goblin walked in. "Take this to Umar, tell him to implement it immediately". The little goblin took the offered note and scuttled back through the iron door from whence he came, shutting it behind him. Canton turned back around with a very self-satisfied smile on his face. I smirked slightly at the look on his face.

"I take you are not fond of Dumbledore". Canton smiled again, if anything even more smugly.

"We dislike his methods. He has always been a bit too controlling for our tastes. Shall we move onto your family accounts?"

"Yes, I want to see everything, including any investments or properties in my name". Canton opened the same drawer where my family ring had come from and pulled out a small red leather bound book. It was a deep maroon in colour, and had the Potter family crest imprinted on the front.

"This Sir is a self-updating leger. It contains details of all the investments, properties and liquid assets your family owns, and automatically updates its self in real time". He handed it to me and I opened it. The first page was an ink drawing of the family crest, with the family words underneath. I turned the page and found what appeared to be a glossary, with the headings 'Properties, Investments, Family Vaults'. Canton leaned over the desk and tapped the book with a long nail. "This is a list of all the different account types you possess. To access one section you must simply say its name. If you wish to return to this page you just have to say 'home'. The book has been charmed to be unreadable to all but members of the Potter family and the goblins". I nodded.

"Properties". The pages of the book fluttered, and stopped randomly about half way through.

**English properties: **

_**Potter Manor**_** (under fidelius, master suite, six guest bedrooms, informal + formal dining rooms, kitchen, training room, library + master's study, 7.8 acres of land, swimming pool, gym, living room, elf quarters, stables, quidditch pitch, potions lab, family vaults, billiard room, laundry room)**

_**Potter Cottage**_** (in ruins, currently national heritage sight)**

_**London Penthouse**_** (connected to floo network + fidelius, master suite, guest room, training room, kitchen + dining room, living room, study, laundry room)**

**International properties: **_**New York Penthouse**_** (currently rented, £2500 per month)**

_**Paris Apartment**_** (rented, £1950 per month)**

_**Greek Villa**_** (beachfront, master suite + 3 guest rooms, kitchen, dining room, infinity pool, living room, two house elves on request)**

_**Mauritius, Island**_** (mansion, 4 full year house elves, master suite, 4 guest rooms, kitchen, living room, dining room, peer, 4.5 acres of land, ownership of surrounding waters up to 3 miles out)**

I wolf whistled and leant back in my chair. That was a pretty impressive list. I owned 5 houses, and an island. It was certainly a nice change from living in a broom cupboard and wearing second hand clothes to realising that I was more than a little rich.

"The rented out properties provide an annual income of £53,400, which converts roughly into 10,831 galleons, 1 sickle and 35 knuts". Canton said.

I nodded, and told the book to turn to the investments page.

_**Magical Stock Ownership**_**: **

**Nimbus Racing Broom (17%)**

**Flourish and Blotts (22%)**

**Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour (33%)**

**Quality Quidditch Supplies (24%)**

**Honeydukes Sweetshop (14%)**

"These stocks were all purchased by your grandfather Charlus Potter. He had a keen eye for business, and made sure to provide good investments for all of these shops as they were starting up. In total, you receive approximately 37,689 galleons a year from all of these combined investments". I nodded, but then an idea occurred to me. I had been cleaning up the kitchen one evening when my Uncle mentioned buying stocks in some new companies. my Aunt had vetoed the idea, saying it was too risky and so the matter was dropped. But, if I had as much money as Canton said I did then it probably couldn't do me any harm to try and invest some. Since I knew nothing about magical stocks, my best bet would probably be to try and buy some muggle ones.

"Canton, can you purchase any muggle stocks for me? There are several companies out there that could provide some very impressive income". Canton nodded in thought.

"I don't see how that would be a problem Sir. Could you provide me with a list?"

I racked my brain, trying to remember the ones my Uncle had mentioned."Umm, is there any chance you could purchase mucggle stocks in Apple, Sony and Microsoft for me? I shall leave the exact amount to you, you're the expert on stocks here". Canton smiled after writing all these down.

"I will do my research Sir".

"Thank you". I turned to the final section, family accounts:

**Vault 698 (Potter Vault): 70,942,609 galleons, 750,463 sickles and 290,184 knuts. **

**Vault 687: 30,000 galleons**

I could only stare at the page in shock. Screw being 'more than a little rich'. It was obvious I was mind blowingly rich. The sort of 'never gonna have to work again' rich. I looked up at Canton. He grinned as he leant back in his chair.

"The Potter Family is rich Sir. Very rich, and is one of our oldest clients. The money has been collecting interest for years, but since your father was too busy with the war effort to invest any of it has been sitting in the vault in liquid form. With your permission I would like to start investing it again. There are numerous business opportunities out there that can be immensely profitable if taken advantage off". I thought for a moment. I had no idea of how good a businessman Canton was, but I knew that goblins were clever. The smartest when it came to money in fact, and Canton had been with my family for years.

"You can use 500,000 galleons for whatever investments you deem best. Move it in a new vault in my name that are for investments only. Will that be sufficient?" Canton nodded quickly.

"That should be more than sufficient Sir. I will keep you updated on any investments I make. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

This was my opportunity to sort out some do the things that had been bugging me. "Yes. First, is there anything I can do about my living situation? I don't want to stay with the Dursleys if I can help it. Second, I need a tutor. Someone who can teach me the ways of the Wizarding World, things like etiquette and finances. All the stuff I would have been taught if I had been raised as the Heir to an Ancient and Noble House like I should have. I need to know this before I re-enter the public eye. If I could also be tutored in the basics of the subjects I will be studying at Hogwarts too that would be great. It doesn't hurt to be prepared. Third, I want to see a healer. The Dursley's have given me next to no medical care and there are probably numerous vaccines I am missing. I would also like some way to withdraw money from my account directly, there are some big purchases I will need to be making when I return 'home'. Finally, is there any way we can keep all information of my return to the Wizarding World under wraps for now? I'm not ready to step back into the limelight, and need time to prepare first". Canton had been nodding as I was saying all this, and was making notes on his sheet of parchment.

"I can help you with all of these issues Sir. The tutor can be easily arranged, I know someone who will be perfect for such a situation and can get you in contact with him immediately. When would you like your lessons to start?"

"Two weeks should be sufficient time to set up".

"That will be easy to arrange Sir. In regard to your Healer I think that will be a good idea, and can arrange for you to see a private Healer this weekend. I will ensure full discretion is maintained. It will be a private affair".

"Thank you Canton."

"Of course Sir. The direct access to your account can be set up too. We came up with a system that mimics the muggle 'debit card' a few years back. It links directly to your family vault, and can be used instantaneously in both muggle and Wizarding stores. I can sign you up for one now, and you can pick it up on your way out". I nodded that this was agreeable, and Canton filled out another slip of paper and passed it to me that I could use on my way out to claim my card. "Finally, the Dursleys. As you are underage there will technically be your muggle guardians until you turn eleven providing you have claimed head of house. They have no right of your magical funds however, and have no say in the Potter family affairs. You will have to remain living with them until your eleventh birthday, but I'm sure with the help of a little magic you can make your living conditions more… agreeable". I nodded as I listened to what he said, and almost immediately several ideas sprang to mind.

"Well Canton, this has been a most pleasing meeting and I look forward to working together in the future. You have my address, and I shall be purchasing owl shortly so please ensure to keep me updated on my affairs. Thank you for all your help".

"Not at all Sir. It has been a privilege to work with the Potter Family once again". I leant across the desk and shook his hand, an action which seemed to surprise him somewhat but he went along with it readily. I turned and walked to the door of his office, thoughts swirling around my head as all that I had learnt on this most informative afternoon sank in. Life was about to get a lot more enjoyable.


	4. Spending Some Hard Earned Cash

Chapter Four: Spending Some Hard Earned Cash

**Thanks for reading and please review. If anyone has any ideas or feedback on the story then please message me.**

_I turned and walked to the door of his office, thoughts swirling around my head as all that I had learnt on this most informative afternoon sank in. Life was about to get a lot more enjoyable._

I left Canton's office and walked the short walk back through the double doors to main hall. I took the slip Canton had given me over to the teller I had spoken to earlier, but this time instead of having to wait for the goblin to finish writing to speak to him the moment I stepped forward he laid down his pen and looked up expectantly. Evidently the news that the Potter heir had reappeared and reclaimed his position had already spread through Gringotts. This worried me somewhat, as I had expressed my wish to Canton that my presence in the Wizarding World remain secret. But, I had no choice but to trust the goblins, and to anger my only allies in the Wizarding World at that time wold not be wise. I was going to need all the help I could get. Plus, it had improved the customer service drastically so it wasn't all bad.

I looked the goblin in the eye.

"Canton gave this to me". I told him and passed over the piece of parchment. He took it in his long fingers and studied it much like he had my key earlier. "It's in regards to getting an access card for my vault".

"Of course Sir. Straight away". The goblin picked up what looked like a heavy black paper weight, with a slit in the top underneath a protruding handle and what looked like a removable base. He placed the slip of paper into the slit and opened the base in order to position a wedge of what looked like black plastic. Once satisfied that everything was in order the goblin pressed his thumb into the top of the handle. He held his thumb there for a moment and then the paper weight thing started glowing. The light wasn't very bright but was gold and seemed to be leaking out of the base. It glowed for about a minute, and then the light suddenly cut off. The goblin removed the base and pulled out the slip of black plastic. What had before been just a flat black surface was now imprinted in gold with my details, including my full name, birthday and vault number. It looked exactly like a real credit card, it even had the card reading strip on the back. "This card will work in both muggle and magical shops. In muggle shops it will act just like a normal credit, all one has to do is scan it and the cost will converted and deducted directly from your bank account, the first pin code you use will be set as the passcode. The cost will converted and sent directly to the shop in your name. In a magical shop it will do the same thing but the shop owners will be using a different way of scanning the card but the result will be the same. If you wish Sir, since you are aiming for discretion I can place a small enchantment on the card for you. Instead of showing your actual details we can fit it with an alias. This will cover your name, birth date and vault number but the actual transaction will show up correctly on our end. In case you need to prove your identity all you can apply the counter enchantment onto the card and it will revert to its true form. It will automatically reapply itself after 120 seconds but if you wish to permanently cancel the spell you simply need to return here and we can do it for you".

"That would be fantastic if you don't mind". I returned the card to the goblin,

"Do you have any particular name in mind Sir?" the perfect name occurred to me almost immediately.

"Would 'Oliver Twist' be okay?"

"Of course Sir". The goblin muttered a few words and the card glowed gold again for a moment. As I watched, the words on the cards shimmered, and the name and vault number changed, becoming 'Oliver Twist' and '198' respectively.

I turned to leave but then a thought occurred to me. A way that might help me garner even more support in the goblin community. "I'm sorry but, I didn't catch your name. What was it?" The goblin looked surprised at my question. Startled even.

"My name Sir? My name is Griphook".

"Thank you. I'll let Canton know how helpful you've been. Have a good day". I turned and walked away, not stopping to see the reaction my question had made. I know it sounds like a rather calculating move for an eight year old but I was stepping into a mainly unknown world, and if anything the books my parents had left me highlighted just how much backstabbing the Ancient families were prone to. The book "The Ancient and Noble Houses of Britain" contained detailed accounts of just how vicious the power struggles were and I was already starting on the back foot. I needed allies, and the Goblin Nation was a powerful one.

I walked into the centre of Diagon Alley and took out the folded shopping list I had written the night before. It listed all of the thimgs I could think of that I might need.

**An owl.**

** Any/all interesting books.**

** Parchment + writing quill.**

** Magical clothing.**

** Potions essentials.**

** Wand.**

** Muggle clothing.**

** Furniture.**

I wouldn't be able to get the muggle clothing here, but everything else was easily available. The furniture was for my room. Since I'd read up on the books I'd been given one the spells mentioned had been an enlargement spell, and I figured that I could hire someone to turn the spare guest room that I planned on moving into into a full scale apartment. The spare room wasn't technically mine to enlarge at that time but I figured that with a little "persuasion" I could convince the Dursleys to let me move in there, thereby still remaining in their household as I was legally required to but also making life a lot more pleasant for me. It was a win-win.

I decided to start at the furniture shop as with any luck I could buy some form of baggage that would allow me to carry all my other purchases around. I spotted a shop called "Marcelo's Quality Furniture" and headed over to it. I stepped in and found it to be mostly deserted. The shop itself was actually very small, there were no actual products on the premises funnily enough, just rows upon rows of magical photographs of the items the shop sold. There was a category for beds, book shelves, desks, even bathroom items. The pictures all moved, and depicted the items from various different angles which was in my opinion a very smart marketing choice. I walked over the main desk and rang the small brass bell resting on its surface as I could see no employees. The small door behind the desk opened a moment later and a short, round looking man walked out. His clothes were quite new looking but covered in wood shavings, giving him the impression of a carpenter. A pair of lopsided glasses were perched on his nose, and the majority of his face was hidden behind a pair of very impressive bushy black eyebrows and a matching beard. To finish the ensemble the gentleman was wearing a large hat, also covered in wood shavings.

"Can I help?" he asked after looking up. He seemed surprised to see an eight year old shopping for furniture but appeared to be willing to go with it.

"Maybe. Do you do construction?"

"Construction? Yeah, I know a guy who can do that sort of thing".

"Can he do enlargement?" I asked. The guy, Marcelo I assumed, looked surprised for a moment but seemed to think.

"Enlargement? Do you mean making a room bigger?"

"Well, I was thinking of turning it into several but yes, that sort of thing. Can you help?" Marcelo nodded and grinned. Apparently he could help me, and from the grin he would be making a lot of money too.

"My friend would certainly be able to do that for you. What do you have in mind?"

"I want a kitchen and bathroom installed, as well as a living area, study and training room. I want the entire place warded, anti-scrying, anti-portkey, anti-apparition. The training room will also need to have magic wards. To prevent any damage from stray spells". Marcelo's smile grew, and he started jotting all these down.

"I have no doubt my friend can do all of that for you, I take it you will be needing furnishings as well?"

"Yes, I will need every room furnished. Will you be able to help me with that?"

"I think I can. Do have you particular theme in mind?"

"I haven't got any style in mind. Do you have any guides or brochures I could look at?" Marcelo moved round his desk excitedly, carrying a large photo album which looked like it appeared from nowhere.

"This contains all of the different styles I can offer you". He started flicking through the album. "I do old fashions, modern, couple themed home or just one person. If you wish, you can pick one style and then we shall refurbish the entire apartment in that theme. This includes wall paints, floor coverings and furniture. Does this sound like something you might be interested in?" I thought about it for a moment, and decided the full refurbishment deal would ideal for me, as it would make the entire process of what was effectively house building so much easier.

"Yes, that sounds ideal. May I see the album?" Marcelo smiled and handed it over.

"Once you have made your decision just ring the bell, I have work to do in the back but do not hesitate to call if have any questions".

"I will. Thank you Marcelo". He did a sort of half-bow and then headed into the back of the shop, shutting the door behind him. I sat down on the only piece of furniture in the room, a very comfy leather chair. I settled down and started flicking through the book. Marcelo hadn't been lying, there were a lot of styles in there, and it took me about half an hour to find one I liked. I eventually settled on an old fashioned manor house style. It consisted of dark wood panel floors and walls, intermixed with cream, dark blue and dark green paint. The furnishing were also made with dark wood, things like wooden bookshelves with glass doors and a long glass and wood dining table. The bathroom had a grey stone floor, with grey stone walls but completely modern conveniences. The same went for the kitchen. Stone floor and walls but state of the art kitchen devices, including an oven, fridge, freezer, and dish washer. The counters were made of wood but had large stone slabs on the top to work off. All in all, it was exactly what I was looking for. It was completely up to date but still refined and elegant. It would perfect until I could move out into my own place.

I stood up from the chair and rang the brass bell again. Almost immediately Marcelo popped out from the back of his shop.

"Have you made a decision?" He looked eager, evidently excited about the possibility of a big purchase.

"Yes I have. This one", I pointed to the page describing the style I had liked, "can you do this?" Marcelo took the book and studied the pages.

"And this is for a full apartment? One bedroom with on-suite bathroom, kitchen, dining room and living area as well as a study and training room?"

"Yes, that sounds like everything. Can you give me a price range?"

Marcelo made a few notes on his parchment and appeared to do some calculations.

"Well Sir, including all security measure, enchantments for windows and the like and furnishings that comes to 73,689 galleons and 47 knuts.

"That's sounds most agreeable. What time can you get this done?"

"I will need the address of the location for the work and your payment confirmation. Then, all have to do is contact my friend and we can have the entire process completed in a day".

"That sounds brilliant. Exactly what I need. If I could borrow a quill I'll write down my information and you can owl me with the details". I wrote down the same name as I had on my card, as I had decided that for the time being 'Oliver Twist' would be my alias in the Wizarding World.

"Well Mr… Twist. It has been a pleasure and I look forward to fulfilling your requests. All that remains is the payment…" I pulled my card out from my pocket and handed it to Marcelo. He placed the card face down on what looked like one of those old fashioned credit card swiping machines. Marcelo placed a piece of paper on top and then took out his wand and said a quiet incantation. The paper on top of my card seemed to press down, and black ink appeared spelling out all of the details on my card. The entire process only took about 30 seconds, and once completed there was an imprint of my card on the slip of paper next to a small box labelled 'amount'. Marcelo picked up the piece of paper and wrote the cost into the little box. "If you could sign here Mr Twist". I wrote my name down underneath the box and Marcelo pocketed the paper.

"It's been a pleasure Sir". I shook Marcelo's hand.

"Likewise". I then walked out of the shop, ticking 'furniture' off my list. After a quick glance around I saw a shop that looked like it sold clothing called "Twilfitt and Tatting's" so I started off towards there. It looked like quite a fancy clothing shop but was hopefully good quality too. I walked in and headed straight to the back where an old woman was sitting. She looked up as I approached and winkled her nose at my disheveled appearance.

"I need a full wardrobe. Everyday robes, evening robes, two pairs of robes for special occasions, shirts, trousers, shoes and jumpers. Can you help?" She looked me up and down in disbelief.

"I'm not sure what we offer is quite in your price range. All of our clothes are made from the finest quality materials we can offer. Acromantula silk, dragonhide. The best we can buy, and I'm afraid that these materials don't come cheap". I signed internally but plastered a smile on my face as I pulled out my card. Her eyes widened when she saw it. Apparently these black credit cards were not given to just anyone.

"I think I can afford it so I'll ask again, can you help me? Or do I need to take my business elsewhere?" The old woman stood up so quickly she almost tripped.

"No Sir, of course not. I didn't realise. Do you have any particular colours in mind?" I then spent the next hour trying on various different colours and clothing options, and after having so many different colours fabric thrust in my face I could list every single variation of the colour green. In case you were wondering, there's a hell of a lot. Eventually we came to the conclusion that my best colours were darker ones, with the exception of silver in small quantities. I ended up purchasing two plain robes for everyday use, one in black and the other in midnight blue and a black robe with silver embroidery for special occasions. There were also five long sleeved button up shirts, one emerald coloured, one dark blue, one black and three white. The three coloured shirts were made of silk while the three white ones were made of cotton. For trousers I purchased two pairs of slacks, both black and for shoes I bought one pair of shiny dress shoes and one pair of everyday brown dragonhide boots. Alongside all of those items I bought a black travelling cloak with a thick lining, three jumpers, two without sleeves and one with and a selection of ties. The final thing I bought was a charmed comb that the woman assured me would be more than capable of taming my hair. The final cost was impressive, but the woman assured me that all these items were worth it. They all came with built in protection charms, durability charms and growth charms so I wouldn't grow out of them. I went through the same process of paying as I had with Marcelo, and once done I had the old woman to shrink all of my purchases down so I could fit them into one bag.

My next stop was "Slug & Jiggers Apothecary" where I purchased a basic potions kit. It included a foldable cauldron, as well as unbreakable crystal phials, a silver weighing scale and a large supply of basic potions ingredients. It was all stored in a handy little box the size of a book, which once opened folded outwards with little levels for all of the items. It was a lot deeper on the inside that the outside.

I then went to "Scribbulus Writing Implements", a shop that appeared to sell parchment and the like. While there I purchased a leather notebook that I figured I could use for notes and to list things I had to do. I also put in an order for a stack of high quality parchment that would be imprinted with the Potter family crest that I could use for important letters. The other thing I bought was a black and gold fountain pen. It had a small sliding wheel imbedded in the side that could be used to change the colour of the ink. It was quite expensive but looked like a good quality purchase that I could hopefully keep for years, and would save me money on buying ink as the pen was charmed never to run out. After buying these items just as I was leaving the shop I saw a small display of bags and money pouches. I ended up buying a black money bag with a silver cord that could only be opened by the owner which I also slipped inside the bag I had been given by the clothes shop woman.

I checked my list and saw I only had three more items to buy before I was done. I decided to buy an owl first and so went to "Eeylops Owl Emporium", the shop I had seen earlier with all the owls. It was quite a high ceilinged shop with owls perched on the beams supporting the roof. There were owl cages everywhere, containing numerous different breeds of owls including what I thought were screech, barn, tawny, brown, and snowy owls. Eventually I settled on a very young looking female snowy owl with large amber eyes. I couldn't decide on a name, but at the urging of the clerk told the owl to go to my bedroom at the Dursleys. I wasn't actually expecting the bird to go there, but after a quick affectionate nip on my ear the owl flew straight out the door. I looked to the clerk incredulously.

"Did she actually understand me or was I just ditched by a bird?" The clerk smiled.

"No Sir, magical owls are all very well bred. As long as you gave her the right address she'll be there".

"If you say so. Is there anything else I need to buy?" The clerk nodded and started moving around the shop collecting stuff. I ending up buying a cage, water and food bowls, and owl food, as well as a roll of red string for attaching letters.

"Is that all?" The clerk nodded so I paid and left, all the while hoping that the owl hadn't just ripped me off. But, there had been a certain amount of intelligence in her eyes, which gave me hope that she would turn up.

My second last stop was a book shop called 'Flourish and Blotts'. The place was stacked full of books, literally to the ceiling, and would have been impossible to find anything in if they hadn't been in alphabetical order. I decided to go with the logical approach, and started at 'A'. It took me about an hour to go through the shop and I ended up buying what could probably from a small library. I didn't stick to any particular topic, I bought whatever books took my fancy or looked like they contained useful information. I bought more detailed starter books on all of the topics Hogwarts offered, as well as the books for the first three years of curriculum. I also purchased books on Ancient Runes and Arithmancy as they looked like interesting topics, as well as books on healing and offensive and defensive magic and tactics. I also found a three book set on magical creatures and plants, including their weaknesses, habitats and uses as potions ingredients. The other books I purchased included a guide to learning apparition, a book on writing neatly, a four book set on the history of magic from all over the world including Britain and a guide to how wands worked to name just a few. I had the clerk shrink all of these books down into a little box and left and slipping it into the clothes bag.

I checked the time on a large clock I saw hanging of a wall and saw it was almost six o'clock. Just enough time to buy a wand. I headed a little way back up the street to a small dusty shop called 'Ollivander's'. Inside the place looked even worse, with long thin dusty boxes piled up everywhere and old man sleeping in an old spindly chair in the corner. I was concerned I would be faced with the uncomfortable task of waking him up, but was spared from that fate by a bell ringing as I opened the door. The old man, Ollivander I assumed, stood up so quickly I had to stifle a small shriek. He was rather spooky to look at, with huge silvery eyes and small wisps of white hair.

"Can I help you?" Ollivander asked. He had a quiet raspy voice and I had to strain just to hear him. I took a deep breath before answering him.

"I need a wand". Ollivander looked me up and down with his creepy eyes and I felt strangely violated. The guy gave me the creeps.

"You don't look old enough boy".

"I'm the heir to an Ancient and Noble House therefore am allowed a wand". I wasn't entirely sure he would buy it, but he nodded once and started searching the stacks.

"What wand hand do you use?" I looked at him blankly. He sighed. "What hand do you write with?"

"Oh, sorry. I write with my right hand". Ollivander nodded. He pulled out a stack of wand boxes and placed all but one on his chair. We tried all of these wands, and then the next six after that but none of them worked. By the end of it I had knocked over six stacks of wands and blown out the lights four times. Eventually Ollivander gave in and looked to be on the verge of defeat. Suddenly however he clicked his fingers and grinned. It was a very disconcerting sight.

"I don't have a suitable wand on the premises, but I could custom make one. I don't do this often, but it seems to be the best course of action". I thought about it and agreed, following Ollivander to the back of the shop and through a small dusty looking wooden door. The room I entered was dark, and contained two work benches. The first bench had numerous pieces of wood piled on it, all approximately the same size but each of them looked to be from different trees. The other bench had several rows of small glass jars on it all labelled neatly with some very unusual names. One apparently contained 'unicorn hair', another 'dragon heart string'. I looked at Ollivander.

"What now?" I asked him.

"Now you have to choose what materials for you wand. You do this by sense, not by sight. You must close your eyes and feel what materials call to you. Once you know please tell me". I nodded and stepped to the first bench. I closed my eyes and placed my hands out and ran my fingers over each piece of wood. Some felt warm to my touch, some felt cold but as I was nearing the end of the bench there was one piece of wood that felt far hotter than the others. I opened my eyes and saw that I was touching a dark black piece of wood. I looked up at Ollivander.

"This one". He nodded and stepped forward to pick up the piece of wood. He examined it in his hands.

"This is ebony. A very strong wood, very good at binding powerful cores together". I nodded and walked over to the second bench.

"Same process?"

"If you would". I closed my eyes and started moving my hands over the glass jars. This time I felt nothing from any of the jars, they all felt to be the same temperature until I reached the end of the bench. I placed my hands on the last two jars at the same time and was startled by the change. One felt freezing cold, the other searing hot.

"These two". Ollivander stepped forward again and picked up the two jars.

"These are thestral tail hair and unicorn tail hair. Two very contrasting cores Mr…?"

"Oliver. You can call me Oliver".

"Well Oliver this wand will take a few days to craft. The two cores are quite volatile when mixed together but with the powerful binding magic of the ebony wood and a few protective runes you will have an immensely powerful wand. Shall I owl it to you?" Since I wasn't keen on spending any more time with Mr Creepy I agreed and paid Ollivander the 27 galleons my wand would cost and gave him my address.

I left the shop quickly and headed down to the gate out of Diagon Alley. Since I had no wand I had to wait for someone to open the gate for me. Eventually it was opened by an old man and I headed out onto the street and called for the Knight Bus. Next stop, the Dursleys. What a fun conversation that would be.


	5. The Little Chat

Chapter Five: The Little Chat

**Thanks for reading and please review. **If anyone has any ideas or feedback on the story then please message me.** **

_Next stop, the Dursleys. What a fun conversation that would be._

I got off the Knight Bus directly in front of the Dursleys' house. It was dark despite it being only half past six, British winters for you, and I started walking up the short path to the front door. I paused in front of it, my hand resting on the doorbell. Before I went in I needed a plan to confront the Dursleys with. My best bet would be to use magic, I could threaten the Dursleys into going along with my wishes. But, I had no wand and no wand meant no magic. That meant that I would have to wait until my wand was delivered to do anything. Or, I could try to bluff them. Make them afraid that I could hurt them, either magically or… financially. I had the money, I could damage them that way. Canton and I had been discussing stocks, maybe I could ask him to buy up the stocks in my Uncle's company. If we got majority then technically I would be the owner of my Uncle's livelihood.

Plan in mind I firmly pressed my index finger to the doorbell and waited for all hell to start breaking loose. The door was opened by my delightful Aunt Petunia, her face even further set into a scowl than usual. Upon seeing me she let loose an almost snarl and yanked me through the door, shooting fugitive glances around the street. Once satisfied that no one had seen our little exchange she shut the front door and turned to glare at me.

"Where have you been" she hissed. "When we came home the house was a mess. You hadn't done any of the chores we asked you do. You had the whole day to do it and you have done nothing. What were you wasting your time on that could have taken the whole day and stopped you from cleaning one tiny house?" I sighed. She was upset. "Did you just sigh? Did you just sigh at me you ungrateful little brat?" She grabbed me by the ear and started dragging me towards the living room. "Your Uncle will be so disappointed in you. After everything we have done for you this is how you repay us". She continued muttering things along these lines as we entered the living room, and almost threw at my Uncle who was sitting on the sofa. He looked up as we approached, and seeing me his face started going a very familiar shade of red.

"You! How dare you show your face here boy! After everything you've done to us?" I was tempted to point out the fact that these people had done their very best to make my life a misery, and the thing I had 'done' to them was not clean their entire house but the look on my Uncle's face prevented me. It was his 'someone is going to die' face and past experience gave me the feeling that the 'someone' was intended to be me. i deciedd to bide my time and stayed on the floor where my Aunt had thdown me as my Uncle started to stand up, quite a slow process but eventually he was standing on his two feet. "We took you in boy, gave you a home and food and this is how you repay us?" The passion my Uncle felt on this topic was enough to make him tart pacing around the room, his footsteps shaking some of the clutter on the walls. Deciding I was safe. i set about standing, using the bookshelf to my side to help pull myself up. I ignored my Uncle's ranting, it wasn't the first time he had gone off on such a tangent, and waited for him to finish. My Aunt had been standing by the door through this, but had started nosing around my bags containing everything I had bought today. My hand shot forward and I grabbed them from her.

"Sorry, those are mine". She looked at me angrily.

"Yours? How could they be yours boy? You have no money you good-for-nothing-brat. How could you afford new clothes or books? Have you been stealing from us? Vernon, the boy has been stealing money from us, do something!" My Uncle ceased his ranting and looked at me in surprise, which quickly turned to back into rage.

"Boy! You've been stealing money! That's it, you'll be in the cupboard for a month after this you little rat!" He made a move towards me but I raised my hand.

"Now Uncle, let's not do anything rash here. Generally speaking a peasant harming nobility never ends well". My Uncle stopped in bewilderment.

"What are talking about boy? Petunia, what is he talking about? Did you just call me a peasant?" Petunia looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"How much do you know?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Your skill at hiding my mother's positions is deeply lacking. And yes, to answer your question I know everything. Who my father was, who my mother was. "Magic" My Aunt almost seemed to flinch at the 'M' word. Evidently someone did not like the Wizarding World. "I found it all out, the power that I hold".

"Power? You have no 'power' boy. This is my house that I bought with my own hard earned money. I have the power here boy, and that is how it is going to stay". Bingo. Just the words I had wanted to hear.

"Yes, the money you have earned working at… what was it, 'Grunnings Drill Manufacturing Company'?" My Uncle glared.

"What about it boy?" I smiled.

"Well Uncle, as of two hours ago I am now the majority owner of the Grunning Drill Manufacter Company" His little piggy eyes opened wide in shock, then narrowed.

"You're lying. There is no way that you could have done that".

"Believe what you want Uncle, by tomorrow your beloved job will be gone and this house you worked so hard to earn will be on the market two months later". My Uncle looked flabbergasted, and his mouth was left hanging open like a goldfish. He was so surprised that his legs seemed to give way and he collapsed back into his chair. He looked at my Aunt pleadingly.

"He can't have. He's lying right?" He looked at me and then back to my Aunt. "Right?" My Aunt swallowed and looked at me. They had fallen for it, though I made a mental note to owl Canton and ask him to buy the stocks later as it wouldn't end well if my Uncle found out I had been lying. I needed insurance.

"Your father?" I nodded.

"I will soon be the Head of the Potter family. This means that I have complete control over my family wealth, and to buy Uncle's company cost nothing more than pocket change for me". I smiled and walked over to the large armchair in the corner of the room and sat down, crossing my legs over each other and steeping my hands. I'm not going to lie, having power over my relatives was a thoroughly enjoyable feeling.

"Petunia? What's he talking about? What 'family wealth'?" My Aunt looked at me distastefully.

"Go ahead, tell him. I'll wait until you're done". I stood up from the armchair and walked out of the room to the kitchen intent on grabbing a snack. I found Dudley in there eating a large slice of chocolate cake in front of the television. He looked up as he saw me.

"Why are Mum and Dad yelling? What did you do?" I looked at Dudley and felt pity for him. Don't get me wrong, he was an unpleasant little brat, but that wasn't entirely his fault. My Aunt and Uncle had raised him that way and only had themselves to blame for the thoroughly unpleasant way he had turned out. I walked over to the fridge and opened it, grabbing the last slice of chocolate cake. "Hey no, that's mine. You're not allowed to eat that". I ignored Dudley and instead opened the cupboard and took out a plate to put the cake on. Only after also grabbing a fork and making myself comfortable against the counter did I turn around to address Dudley.

"The thing is Dudley, things around here are going to change soon. Change a lot, and I think that I'm going to be allowed to eat as much chocolate cake as I want". Dudley looked surprised and opened his mouth to retort when Petunia walked in. Her face was pinched and angry looking, but her posture was defeated.

"I have told your Uncle… everything. He wants a word". I placed my cake on the counter and stood up straight.

"Of course. Dudley, do you want to come? This will affect you too I think". Dudley looked incredibly confused.

"What's he talking about Mum? What will affect me?" Aunt Petunia looked murderous.

"You have no right to involve him in this".

"He lives here Petunia. He's involved anyway". I started walking to the living room and was greeted by a pale faced Vernon. I nodded at him and resumed my seat in the armchair. A moment later Petunia and Dudley walked in, one looking angry, the other just plain confused. They sat down on the sofa next to Vernon.

"Well, as I have told Vernon I control his job and therefore all his money. I can make life incredibly difficult for all of you and I'm more than willing to do it, but I think that we should be able to come up with a solution that makes us all happy. I will allow Vernon to keep his job but I have a few requirements in exchange. I shall be allowed to come and go as I please. I will not be forced to do any chores in this house, no more cleaning your kitchen or de-weeding your garden. In extension, I shall be moving into the guest bedroom. I will be making some changes to my new room but that shall have no effect on any of you. You will refer to me as Hadrian, not boy, not freak. Hardriam. These are my terms, and you can agree to them or lose this house and your lives as you know them".

I sat and looked at all them. My Uncle looked angry but defeated. As un-intelligent as the man was he knew when he beat. And he was certainly beat.

"Fine. We'll do it. We'll do all of it. But we want to see as little of you as possible".

"Don't worry Uncle, the feeling is mutual. Well, since we're all agreed I shall start to move my possessions into my new room. It's been lovely seeing you all". I stood and walked out of the room, only pausing to grab my bags. It had all gone splendidly if I do say so myself. Now however I had work to do. Lots of work.


	6. Redecorating

Chapter 6: Redecorating

****Thanks for reading and please review. **If anyone has any ideas or feedback on the story then please message me.******

_It had all gone splendidly if I do say so myself. Now however I had work to do._

I left the room and carried my bags up to the guest room, pausing only to remove all of meagre possessions from my cupboard. I took special delight in slamming the door to it, just because I had spent over six years of my life in that cupboard did not mean I was at all frond of it. The guest room was a small room painted white with a grey carpet and was sparsely decorated, with very little beyond a double bed and wardrobe set. I placed all of my purchases at the foot of my bed and opened the window to my left so that, hopefully, my owl could fly in. As an extra enticement I set up the cage on its stand and placed food and water inside. Once that was done I pulled of my clothes and grabbed the book detailing the magical history Britain to read before I went to sleep.

When I awoke it was still dark out and once I found my father's watch I read the time to be a little past five. I snuck out to the bathroom to have a nice long shower, but had to do it very quietly in order to not wake the Dursleys. As I re-entered my room and made a mental note to get a haircut as I could barely see I was startled by a pair of large amber eyes staring at me from the owl cage. I shut the door quietly and approached.

"Hey there girl". The owl simply continued to regard me with her huge eyes. "To be honest, I wasn't actually expecting to see you again". I reached a hand into the cage and hesitantly stroked the bird's feathers. She looked at me as I stroked her and then suddenly nipped my finger. I yelped and pulled my hand back and looked at the bird accusingly. "What was that for?" She hooted softly and flew out of her cage to land gently on my shoulder. She nibbled my ear affectionately and ran her beak through my hair. "Fine", I conceded, "I forgive you". She hooted softly again and after one more quick nip on my ear she flew back to her cage and started preening herself.

I then set about getting ready for the day so started by picking out some of the new clothes to wear. I settled on wearing one of the white long sleeved button up shirts and a pair of the black slacks with my new dragon hide boots. The boots were remarkable. The moment I slipped them on it felt like I had been wearing them for years they were so comfortable. I also put on my Dad's watch and used the enchanted comb to brush my hair into bangs that I then brushed to the side. Coupling that with my good quality clothing I looked wealthy and sophisticated, a far cry from the sickly and scrawny kid I used to look like.

It was about six o'clock by then so I set about writing a note to Marcelo before breakfast. It took a lot longer than I had anticipated however as my handwriting was atrocious and that was not the impression I wanted to give. Luckily though I had bought a book yesterday on how to write well and decided to use this opportunity to use it. It took me over an hour but eventually I had modified my handwriting to a neat and elegant cursive script that was far more fitting for someone of my station. I attached the note to my owl's leg with the red ribbon, and just as I was tying the knot a name occurred to me. The magical history of Britain I had been reading the night before had contained numerous powerful witches and wizards and I had particularly liked the story of one witch that had been called Hedwig. Since I had no better ideas I decided that Hedwig would be an ideal name for my owl.

"Hedwig?" I called to her. "Do you like that name girl?" She seemed to think it over for a moment before pecking my finger softly once and then flying out of the window. "Hedwig it is then". With that matter settled I checked my watch and seeing it to be quarter past seven headed downstairs to the kitchen. I was pretty hungry so made myself a nice omelette and had just served it onto a plate when my relatives filed in. Dudley saw my breakfast and licked his lips hungrily but I ignored him. As far as I was concerned they could make their own breakfast from now on. I continued eating and made my position clear by opening the paper and taking a long drink from my glass of orange juice. Once I had finished it all I took it over to the sink and rolled up my sleeves so I could wash up. Still, my relatives stayed silent. I even washed up everything I had used including the pan and heard nothing from them.

"Good morning". I looked at them all and they averted their gaze, refusing to look me in the eyes. "Okay then. There will be some men coming around today who are going to redecorate my room. I'll make sure they don't bother you and they'll be gone by this evening. Okay?" Another round of silence. "Great". I then turned and left, having trouble hiding the smile that their sullenness had caused. It was the first time that I could remember that both Dudley and Vernon hadn't been talking, and I loved it.

I went back upstairs to my room where I found Hedwig waiting with a reply. I undid it and found a small note from Marcelo saying he would be round with his friend at eleven o'clock. It was only quarter to ten then so I continued reading my magical history of Britain book. I ended up being so engrossed that the time flew by and before I knew it it was quarter to eleven. I packed up all my things so it would be easier to perform the magic and placed it neatly outside my door. I then headed downstairs to wait for Marcelo. At exactly elevem o'clock the doorbell rang and I opened the door to find Marcelo, minus the sawdust, standing next to a tall bald man.

"Oliver, what a nice home you have here. Very charming." I smiled and stepped forward to shake his hand.

"It's not actually mine, but the owner would be delighted to hear you say that". I looked back down the hall to see said owner slam the kitchen door quickly. I turned back to Marcelo. "Shall we?"

"Lead the way". I lead Marcelo upstairs to my room and ushered them in. "So this is the room you want to redone?"

I nodded anxiously. "Yes, will that be okay?"

"I don't see why not. What do you think Mr Bolud?" It took me a moment to realise he was addressing the tall man.

"I can't see a problem". His voice was deep and gravely.

"In that case we shall begin". Marcelo raised his wand and muttered a quiet incantation. "The dimensions are roughly ten feet by seven so we should easily be able to accommodate everything. Shall we start with the expansion?"

"Yes" Mr Bolud replied. He raised his wand and closed his eyes and started muttering. As I watched the walls started to recede from us, and the room grew, the floor following along after it. After about a minute the walls stopped moving and Mr Bolud opened his eyes. He was rather red and was sweating. Marcelo clapped him on the back.

"Well, that's the hard part over. Now the walls. Do you have the design Mr Bolud?"

"Yes". Mr Bolud pulled a piece of rolled up parchment from his pocket and studied it carefully. He then walked away from us to the far side, moving his wand in intricate little flicks as he went. Wherever he flicked his wand a moment later concrete walls started to grow up from the floor. They were perfectly straight, and soon Mr Bolud had disappeared into a room. I looked at Marcelo in disbelief.

"That's remarkable. How does he do it? Is he conjuring it?" Marcelo shook his head.

"No Oliver, what he is doing is encouraging the materials of the house to duplicate and form in the shape he requires. The walls are made from the same concrete found in the foundations of this house, just multiplied and carefully positioned. Magic cannot actually create new matter, simply duplicate and manipulate the matter that is already there".

"Wow".

"Wow indeed Oliver. I know it sounds rather complicated but this is the theoretical part of the magic, and if you can grasp this then the practical part will be so much easier". I nodded at what he was saying.

"Thank you Marcelo".

"Don't worry about it Oliver. Now I believe it is my turn. It seems Mr Bolud is done". I looked up and saw that indeed Mr Bolud was approaching us, and what had just been a large open space had been neatly divided into four rooms. Marcelo approached Mr Bolud and shook his hand. They had a quiet exchange and then Mr Bolud walked past me and left. Evidently his job was done. Marcelo looked back at me. "You can go Oliver. This will take some time".

"If you don't mind Marcelo, I have quite a lot of reading to do".

"Not all, I'll come and get you when I'm done". I left the room and grabbed my book on Wizarding etiquette and settled downstairs in the garden to read. It wasn't a particularly interesting book but it was undeniably useful. It gave me an insight into how rich noble families were supposed to act, how they treated one another and those beneath them. Hell, it even had a whole chapter detailing the correct use of cutlery at meals. But, despite its un-interesting content I made an effort to memorise the information as I knew that it would come in handy in the future. I was about two thirds of the way through when Marcelo tapped me on the shoulder.

"It's done Oliver. Would you like me to show you?" I stood up eagerly and closed my book.

"Definitely. Lead the way". I followed Marcelo back up the stairs but before we went in we stopped at the door. He gestured to the door handle.

"If you would place your hand here the magic will accept you as the owner and lock this door to anyone bar you. It's a very strong piece of magic and when combined with the anti-portkey and anti-apparition wards then you will as safe as possible in there without using the fidelius charm".

"Thank you Marcelo. Do I just place my hand on it?"

"Yes Oliver, it will take a small sample of your blood and then will be locked to you". I placed my hand on the lock and felt a familiar the pricking sensation. The handle grew hot to the touch but then cooled suddenly.

"After you?" Marcelo gestured and we entered the apartment. It looked completely unrecognizable to how it had earlier. "It is shaped roughly into a 'T' shape Oliver, but the bar of the 'T' is a lot wider than the stem. In the top right part of the bar we have the study area. In the left hand side is the bedroom". I walked forward to take a look around. The walls of the stem of the 'T' were all lined with wood panelling and so was the floor. The cfront for opened into the base of the stem of the 'at', and extended all the way down until the point where it was in line with the begining of the bar of the 'T', where a wall with a black fireplace was positioned blocking my view to the outside wall. In the stem of the 'T' was a long glass and wood dining table with six matching chairs, placed in front of the large black fire place. Set a small way into the right hand wall of the stem was the kitchen area, complete with all of the appliances like a fridge and cooker with storage space. On the left had wall of the stem was a large archway which I walked through to enter the training room. The centre of the room was a little lower than the rest but was cushioned with exercise mats. There were a selection of dummies and targets against the wall, and what looked suspiciously like a sword rack. I looked at Marcelo.

"Is that a sword rack?"

"Yes. Pureblood children are often trained in the art of sword fighting as a way to install discipline. I figured that it might be something you would want to continue, but you will need to find a trainer. All of the walls are enchanted with magic absorbing wards so any misfired spells with simply be absorbed and leave no damage". I nodded and followed Marcelo over to the kitchen area. "All of the appliances are enchanted to co-exist with magic so there shouldn't be any problems there. The fridge and all of the cupboards are enchanted with a stasis charm so any foo placed in them will never go of. It's a handy piece of magic that. You will need to buy all of the cooking utensils, things like plates and the like".

"Of course". I walked with Marcelo around the right hand side of the fire place to find a mirror image one on the other side of the wall.

"The fireplace on this side is connected to the floo network, the other one other however is just a normal fireplace". I nodded, I knew how floo worked and added 'buy some floo powder' to my list of things to do. I looked to my right and saw the study. There was a fancy looking wooden desk in the centre with a high backed black leather chair set behind it. The three walls surrounding the desk and chair were all lined with matching wooden bookshelves, except on the outside wall where there was a gap for a window. "The study". Marcelo gestured. "The bookshelves have a capacity of 300 books, one hundred each. They all enchanted to automatically organise the books by topic, then alphabetically and then by author". He then gestured to the left hand side. "The bedroom area". I walked over. There was a large wooden framed double bed with a grey duvet, surrounded by one large wardrobe on each side and a wooden chest of drawers with a mirror placed above it next to the window on the right side. There was a wooden door on the left hand side of the bed.

"The bathroom?" I asked Marcelo.

"Yes. I have installed a toilet, sink and bath/shower. All of them are enchanted to have a permanent water supply, and the entire apartment has lights installed. All you have to do is will them on and off and thay shall respond accordingly". I tried it and suddenly the entire apartment lit up. "Just like that".

"Well Marcelo, this is exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you".

"It was a pleasure Oliver. If you need to plug any electronics in, there are sockets all over the place that have a permanent energy supply so it won't be a problem". We shook hands and Marcelo left, so I started moving all of possessions in. It wasn't much, but I managed to fill one bookshelf and got a kick out of watching the books shuffle themselves around. Once I had put all of my new clothes away as well I collapsed onto the bed, relishing the comfort of an actual bed. I was home.


	7. A Bit of a Surprise

Chapter Seven: A Bit of a Surprise

**Thanks**** for reading and please review. If anyone has any questions or messages please message me.** **In regards to some of the questions I have been asked, I have changed Harry's name to Hadrian as Harrison was not quite as imaginative as it could have been. I have also added a reason for Harry knowing about stocks as I understand it seems far fetched for an eight year to know about that for no reason. **

_Once I had put all of my new clothes away as well I collapsed onto the bed, relishing the comfort of an actual bed. I was home._

It had been just over a week and a half since Marcelo had installed my apartment, and life had taken an obvious turn for the better. I bought all of the stuff I needed that hadn't come already in the apartment online by using Dudley's old computer. Since I now had cooking utensils I took to cooking and eating all of food in my 'room', and had installed a pretty sweet TV and games console to help pass the time that I didn't spend reading or practicing magic. I also bought more clothes online so that I had more casual clothing to wear outside, like jeans and hoodies so I had in effect, a complete wardrobe.

My magic was coming along well, but I still had some trouble with actually performing the spells, because even though the books I had purchased were great for the theory I didn't have much of an idea on how to do the practical part. That was what I needed a teacher for, and I was looking forward to meeting with the guy Canton had set up for on the coming Saturday. Apparently he was an elderly wizard, but one of the best tutors for the subjects I needed to learn in the UK at the time, and was also supposedly an ex-competitive sword fighter, so that solved the problem of getting a teacher for that as well. But, since he was so old I wasn't too sure on how good he would be at teaching me if he had trouble getting up the stairs as many elderly people did. However, time would only tell.

A nice bonus to the tutor thing was the fact that I no longer had to go to Muggle School. I managed to coerce my relatives into signing a letter that I sent to my old school claiming that I had been admitted into a school for gifted children in Scotland, the same lie told to muggle families about Hogwarts according to Canton. It did mean that I had to avoid being seen by any neighbors during term time, but thanks to the floo and online delivery services I didn't really need to leave the house from the front door anyway.

That day however was the day for me to visit a Healer. Canton had set it up for me, so all I had to do was show up at the correct time. I flooed into Diagon Alley and set off to my private appointment at St. Mungos. After reading 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts', one of the books I had bought, and I was concerned about being recognized. The scar was supposedly pretty iconic and I was planning to stay incognito for the next few years. But, I solved this problem by wearing the same beanie I had worn on my last visit to Diagon Alley, which made me realize that I had that hat to thank for not being outed from the go. With the hat pulled firmly over my scar I looked just like any old eight year old boy so no one paid me any attention.

I showed the receptionist the appointment paper Canton had given to me and after giving me a suspicious once over she sent me up to private room on the sixth floor. I waited outside for five minutes, admiring a nice pot plant when the door opened and I was ushered on. It didn't look much dissimilar inside than the nurse's office at my school had looked, with a row of cabinets and a sink on one side with a large blue leather recliner on the other. The Healer examining me was a nice old lady called Matilda, who bid me lay down on the recliner. Once I had settled down she picked up a clipboard and read through it, clicking her tongue a few times.

"Well," she said, "this isn't the first time I've had a 'private' session, but it is the first time I've had one so young." She looked me up and down and I felt embarrassed. "Well, since your paperwork is in order I shall just go along with it. Do you know how this all works?"

I nodded. Canton had explained the whole thing to me. "Good, then we won't have to go over it in full detail. Suffice to say, the clauses are fairly basic. The hospital shall not disclose any of your medical history or details without your express permission, and I won't tell anyone anything that I know about you, including name and physical appearance ect... Is that sufficient?" I nodded again and she grunted. "Good. Now we shall begin. I shall start by simply performing a quick diagnostic charm and then we shall tackle any problems it detects. Okay?" I nodded again and she pulled out her wand. Matilda muttered a quiet spell and my vision was suddenly clouded by a thin purple mist. The mist only lasted for a few moments, but the quill she had previously been holder was scribbling quickly on her clipboard. Matilda's face grew grave as she read what the quill wrote. Eventually it stopped writing, not too long after the mist had cleared and Matilda cleared her throat.

"Well, Oliver, it seems that we shall be busy after all. The charm has detected quite a few issues that could cause long term problems if we don't sort it out now. You appear to be suffering from malnutrition, which left untreated will cause your growth problems for the rest of your life. But, I can put you on a course of potions for the next six weeks that shall heal any damage, and some nutritional potions that shall ensure that you get all of the vitamins and nutrients you need to prevent it from happening again. I shall also write you a list of the types of food you shall need to start eating to prevent it from happening again." Matilda turned to the cabinet behind her and took out a long thin box that contained dozens of small green phials in one half and green I n the other. She counted out what looked like a little under thirty of each and then placed them all into a two compartment box that looked specifically made to hold such phials. It must have been enchanted too, because although the box itself wasn't that deep she just kept putting them in. "I have put 21 of each type of potion in there. They will last you for the next seven days as you shall be taking three a day, one with each meal. At the end of the seven days you shall receive the next weeks' worth via owl, and so on until you have finished your regiment. Understand?" I nodded quickly, feeling slightly spooked by the fierce expression in her eyes.

"Good. Your eyesight is also very poor, and shall only get worse as you get older but thanks to a fairly recent development in this field I can set you on another course of potions that should fix that. These ones only need to be taken once a day, preferably in the morning, and only for one week. They're very fast acting, and you're lucky to have access to them." I nodded again. "Now, you have some fractures on various bones around your body. They probably won't cause you any damage long term, but with the extra growing you shall be doing shortly it is best I heal them up right now. Since none of them need to be regrown completely I shall forge skelegrow and instead just fix them right now. It will hurt a lot, so brace yourself". I shut my eyes and waited. Suffice to say the pain that came soon after was extreme, because it felt like all my bones were being broken again simultaneously. Luckily it only lasted a few seconds, and once it had passed my limbs felt a lot freer than they had before.

"Good boy. Now, that is all of the problems that could cause you damage in the future, bar one sort of irregularity that the charm detected in you skull if you would remove the hat?" Internally I groaned. I had hoped that I would be able to keep the hat on for the whole thing but apparently not. I took my hat off and looked to Matilda. As her eyes took in the scar her expression morphed into one of confusion. Her eyes flickered from the scar and then back to the rest of me a few times, and after a moment it appeared the realization had hit her as her mouth fell slightly open in shock. "You?" I sighed.

"Yes, me."

"But? I though?" I felt sorry for her because she looked so damn confused. However, her expression quickly turned back into one of professionalism. "Well, that was a surprise. Now, as I was saying, the charm detected some sort of residual magic around your scar and if you don't mind I would like to examine it to determine what exactly we are dealing with."

"Okay. Go ahead." Matilda once again took out her wand and started muttering again, but this time the words appeared to be in Latin. Suddenly, I started feeling a sort of pressure building up in my head around the scar. I groaned as the pain increased but Matilda just continued chanting. The pressure got so great that black spots started dancing in my vision, and it quite literally felt as though my head was going to explode. But, just before I felt I was going to pass out the pressure seemed to explode outwards. Through my murky vision I saw something black jet outwards from my forehead, and it sounded like I could hear screaming. Matilda swore and staggered backwards, staring in shock and the black shape. It still felt like it was connected to me, but with a lurch the shape flew forwards and the stream of blackness connecting it me snapped, leaving the creature free. It floated, suspended for a moment when the walls started glowing and runes that I hadn't previously seen before showed up glowing gold. Tendrils of light seemed to arc outwards, all joining together in the center of the black 'thing'. The 'thing' as I decided to call it, started glowing as well, getting brighter and brighter until when I could barely look at it it exploded.

The light cut off as suddenly as it had started, and my eyesight adjusted to show Matilda lying on the floor in obvious shock. She stood up shakily, clinging onto the counter for support. She shook her head a few times, muttering things under her breath. She took a deep sigh and shut her eyes, and when she opened them again her professional manner was back. "Well Mr Potter, that was certainly exciting. If you don't mind, I shall perform the spell again just to check that the magic in your scar has gone." She did so, and nodded once it was completed. "Well, it has gone so we shall assume that whatever was causing those readings was what just appeared a moment ago. Since that conducts our business I would say that you are free to go. Please remember to take the potion with you, and try to follow the dietary list I have left you. It was a pleasure meeting you Mr Potter." I got off the recliner and shook Matilda's hand slowly. She appeared to still be in shock.

I picked up the potions, and after one quick look back left the room, still trying to figure out what on earth had just happened. I was so absorbed in my thought that I didn't notice the blood dripping into my eyes until I got an odd look from one of the nurses who bustled over and performed a quick charm, closing my scar as it had understandably opened during the...incident. I stopped off at the men's before leaving, and after splashing some cold water on my face managed to set my thoughts in order. Suffice to say, I put finding out whatever the heck just happened top of my list of priorities, deciding to send a letter to Canton as soon as I got back as he was the only source of sentient information that I had. With that in mind I headed home, still slightly in shock. Suffice to say, of all the things I had expected to happen during my appointment that was certainly not one of them.


	8. The Tutor

**Thanks for reading and lease review. If anyone has any questions, typos or ideas please message me. **

_Suffice to say, of all the things I had expected to happen during my appointment that was certainly not one of them._

Despite my best efforts, by the time I got home I was exhausted and my plan of sending Canton a letter was tossed aside when I saw my bed. The whole experience with the Healer had been remarkably draining for me and all I wanted to do was sleep.

The next morning I woke up at seven like usual and staggered my way to the bathroom, with a nice hot shower in mind. I had set up all of my various potions in the medicine cabinet above the sink, and set about downing the first red one that had been prescribed for my eyes once I got out the shower. It tasted kinda like strawberries, but didn't seem to make any noticeable change to my vision. Only time would tell on that one. But, as I was putting them away I saw my reflection on the front of the medicine cabinet because it also doubled as a mirror, and noticed that my scar had vanished. Well, to be accurate, it hadn't vanished. It had just faded to a pale white line but considering just yesterday it had looked as angry as the day I'd got it this was remarkable. Upon closer examination, I felt confident in saying that unless one was looking for it no one would notice the scar. Hell, even if you were looking for it you would be hard pressed to find it.

Sadly however, this raised a few more questions about what it was that occurred during the incident yesterday. I quickly got dressed, and as I was having breakfast I took out my leather journal and started listing everything I knew about my scar. I knew that it occurred during the attack from Voldemort so was probably related to him. I also knew that whatever was in the scar had to have been responsible for its continued existence, as any normal scar on someone's forehead would have certainly healed up to a greater extent after seven years. This belieif was supported by the fact that once the substance residing in the scar had been removed it healed up, suggesting that the substance was the cause for the damage.

I finished breakfast and wrote a letter to Canton, after I had drunk my other potions (the green one tasted like mint, the orange one like oranges), detailing what had happened the day before and asking if he might have any ideas on what had happened. Just as I sent Hedwig off I received another note from Matilda, saying that due to the excitement yesterday she had forgotten to give me the necessary vaccinations and would need to reschedule a later appointment. Since Hedwig was gone I put this issue on the back burner, and instead returned to practicing magic. I had set up my own little potions lab in the corner of the training room, complete with cauldron and preparation table, as well as a handy collection of cabinets and shelves for ingredients. I had taken to potions well, finding it very relaxing. It was the sort of task that I could simply set my hands to automatic doing, just reading the instructions and following them through, leaving my mind free to ponder whatever I chose. It was very soothing for me, I'm not really sure why, but I guessed that it probably had something to do with how it kept my hands busy. I had never liked staying still.

I had finished making a blood replenishing potion, because I figured that I would need it when my sword fighting lessons started, when Hedwig flew in. Eagerly I tore open the letter, but was disappointed to find that Canton had no better an idea than I did about what had happened. He did promise to look into it though, and said he would get back to me as soon as he had any news. I groaned but knew there was very little that I could do about it. I could start looking through my books, but since all I had to go on was "icky black stuff residing in scar tissue" it would be very difficult to find any concrete information. Plus, since I already knew so little about the basics of the magical world I had no chance in finding out what that was when even Canton didn't know. For now, all I could do was continue to broaden my knowledge of the magical world. Besides, I had three years before Hogwarts would be an issue, and even then I wasn't entirely sure that Hogwarts was the school I wanted to go to. The current Headmaster was Dumbledore, and from I knew of him he was far too interested in me. The idea of spending seven years under his thumb was not exactly appealing. I resolved to look into schools outside of Britain as there had to be some, adding it to the depressingly long list of things to do that I was keeping in my journal.

I spent the next two days just practicing magic, even though I was still having trouble with the practical part, leaving the apartment only once to get a hair cut. The third day was the day my new tutor was due to visit. Canton hadn't told me his name or anything about his physical appearance except that he was old, in his sixties or something. Canton had told me that the tutor would be flooing in, and that I should expect him at some time in the morning. At a little bit past ten I was distracted form my reading by a loud chiming noise, a sort of doorbell Marcelo had installed on the floo to let me know when someone was coming. I waited next to the floo, smoothing down my hair and clothes. I wanted to make a good impression. The games flared green and out stepped a tall man with close cropped grey hair. His expression was one of severity, but the laugh lines around his eyes ruined the image somewhat. He nodded when he saw me and stepped forward, extending his hand. "Oliver Twist I assume?" I shook his hand.

"Yes Sir." He shook his head.

"No, there is no need to call me Sir. The name is Ted Norton." "

Umm, if that's okay…Mr Norton." Mr Norton smiled and then took an appraising look around the apartment. His eyebrows rose when he saw the study.

"I see you have already started a book collection. Impressive."

"Umm, yes." I wasn't sure why I was so nervous, but looking back I have a suspicion that it was attributed to my determination to make a good impression.

"That's good. I shall leave a book list with you when we are done today."

"Thanks."

"It's fine. Now, Canton told me that you want lessons in numerous aspects of magic. Since you have no practical experience with magic we shall be starting with basic lessons that can cover all branches of practical spell casting, and once you have mastered that we shall move onto more specialist branches. As well as that, I shall be teaching you magical history, finance, law and politics and one language of your choosing. Does that cover everything you want to be taught?"

"Yeah, that, that sounds like everything. Umm, Canton mentioned that you were a swordfighter a few years back?"

"Yeah, I was. Is that something you would be interested in learning as well?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind. I have a training area that we can work in."

Mr Norton nodded. "That shouldn't be a problem then."

"Great, that would be fantastic. Um, when you said that you could teach me a language of my choosing what sort of languages are available?"

"I speak French, German and Russian fluently. I would recommend French to learn, as that is the easiest but I'm more than willing to teach the either two instead." I thought for a moment. Russian would be really cool to learn, but really hard and French would be a lot easier.

"Could you teach me French? I think that would be most useful."

"Of course. Since we have none of the material here with us, it would be rather pointless to start any of the subject lessons now. However, what we can do is assess where you are physically so I know what sort of level I should start you off at. Do you have any training clothes you can change into?"

"Umm, yeah I should have something. The training room is just next door, if you would wait a few minutes I'll get changed and join you?"

"Good." Mr Norton turned and walked to the training room, while I quickly started going through my draws in an attempt to find something suitable. I didn't own any running clothes or anything, but I found a pair shorts and a t-shirt that would be suitable. I walked to the training room and found Mr Norton with his sleeves rolled up. His eyebrows rose when he saw what I was wearing but made no comment.

"Okay then. We're going to start with a short warm up, and then progress to a series of exercises so I can get an idea of your current physical fitness. Then we'll work out a plan to remedy any issues that we may have."

"Yeah, okay. But why all the prep? Why can't we just move straight onto the sword stuff?" Ted smiled.

"I like your enthusiasm. However, in order really get good at the art of sword fighting you will need physical fitness as well. You have to be very light on your feet, and strong enough to hold the sword up for extended period of time."

That made sense. "Okay then." Mr Norton then took me through a series of warm ups to test my flexibility, and once he was satisfied that I wouldn't pull anything he moved onto the more physical ones, like seeing how many press ups I could do. By the end I was red faced and panting, and feeling more than a little embarrassed that I couldn't do more than ten press ups at a time. I rolled over onto my back and looked up at Mr Norton. "So, I take it my fitness level isn't quite as good as it could be?"

"It could be a lot worse but in essence yes, it is not as good as it could be. You should start getting into regular running as your stamina is poor. Your strength is also low, but you are far too young to start weight training. Instead I would recommend you start doing press ups and pull ups. You will need to purchase some decent training gear, running shoes and the like, as well as a pull up bar for the pull ups and a skipping rope so you can get better at moving quickly."

I nodded. "Okay, I can do all that."

"Good. I shall return next week, where we will start our lessons in earnest. I expect to see some improvement in your fitness level, and for you to have finished all of the books on the book list. There will be a test" He passed me a long piece of parchment with eleven different books on it.

"Seriously? But that's like, loads." I know I sounded like a little whiny boy right then, but that was a lot of books to read in seven days.

"Yes, seriously. They will provide a good amount of background on the subjects we will be studying. I want to make something clear Oliver. I will push you hard, very hard, but the results will be that much better. However, this will only work if you're willing to put in the extra effort. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes."

"Good." Mr Norton leant down and grasped my hand, pulling me to my feet. "I look forward to our next meeting."

"Thanks" Ted nodded and left, and a moment later I heard the tell-tail sound of the floo. I groaned and put the list on the dining room table before taking a long shower. Once I'd gotten changed into clean clothes I used my laptop to order some running shoes, training clothes and a pull up bar. On the spur of the moment I also ordered a punching bag because it came with a free skipping rope and gloves. I then read through Ted's book list and grabbed my wallet before I flooed into the Leaky Cauldron so I could get into Diagon Alley. Buying the books didn't take long but they were pretty expensive. I then went home and after cooking myself a rather lovely gourmet meal I stayed up getting started on reading the first book. It was long and quite confusing, and by the end I was hitting my head on the table. I had no idea how I was going to learn any of this.


End file.
